Vidhi means procedure, the technique. Japa is the recitation of a string of words called mantra or prayer. Japa Vishi is the method or technique of chanting japa mantras in Hindu religion. The rules prescribed for japa are mentioned in Tantra books. It is said in Kularnava Tantra (XV:113) that “while one is repeating a mantra, one must have complete faith, devotion, mental application, and submission to the deity, and one should intensely contemplate upon the subtle form of the God or Goddesses.
In japa, the mind should be filled with the visual sensation of the image of the deity, excluding all else. This is called bhavana or anusandhana. It is mentioned in Gandharva Tantra (XVIII:40) that “japa should not be performed too fast, nor too slowly. The meaning of the mantra must never be lost sight of.”
There are three types of japa. These three varieties are described in Mantra Yoga Samhita (64:3-4).
- Vachika, that is accompanied by audible sounds of uttered words
- Upamsu, in which words are uttered, undergoing the subtle movements of the apparatus of speech, no sound is produced (there is less expenditure of energy and less mental distraction)
- Manasa – mental recitation. This is the highest type. There is no movement inside the mouth and no sound. Here intensity of mental concentration is the highest.
Counting of japa (recitations) is done by a rosary or in its absence by touching of the nodes of fingers with the tip of the thumb.
By prolonged practice of repeating a mantra in japa, the mind is concentrated without any movement. It is gradually withdrawn from thoughts and impressions and gets united with the presence, the experience, and the power of the deity. This is called “awakening of the mantra.” Here the aspirant becomes a mantra-siddha.